Broadcasting machine



J1me 194.1! s. EVBAUGHMAN 24 BROADCASTING MACHINE Filed May 12, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 L: L- Z I I 1 1 J4 i v 1|! I|I I, I [3 June 3, 1941. v s. E. BAUGHMAN 2,243,996-

BROADCASTING MACHINE Filed May 12, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 3 rwwi M .51 EBay/5mm;

Patented June 3, 1941 BROADCASTING MACHINE Samuel E. Baughman, Broadwell, Ill.; Bernice G.

Baughman, administratrix of Samuel E. Baughman, deceased Application May 12, 1938, Serial No. 207,431

1 Claim.

This invention relates to machines for broadcasting loose material and in one particularly adapted for spreading such materials as sand or cinders upon hard surfaced roads, for example, and for spreading a fertilizer in field use, the invention also pertaining to what is believed to be a novel form of distributing fan.

Claims to certain features illustrated in the drawings are presented in a co-pending divisional application Ser. No. 323,703, filed March 13, 1940.

Another object is to provide a broadcasting machine having a structure by which during operation the air naturally inducted thereinto in and during the rotation of the fan acts to control the material being broadcast to the end that such material is held closely confined to the place of delivery on the fan until finally delivered.

In order that the invention may be clearly understood in all its aspects the appended drawings are provided forming part hereof, wherein- Figure 1 is a side elevation in section of a fragmentary portion of my improved broadcasting machine shown mounted upon a suitable support or carrier such as a truck, for example.

Figure 2 is a plan of the same except as to the main hopper portion shown in said Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a plan of part of what is shown in Figure 2, but on a larger scale, showing a valve mechanism.

Figure 4 is a rear elevation of the same shown in section and taken on line 4-4 Figure 3.

I In said drawings l designates in general a frame, in this instance a casting, shown mounted at the rear of a vehicle, Figures 1 and 2, such as a truck 2, for example.

Said frame includes in this instance an upper and a lower leg portion 3 and 4, respectively, separated by a space 5.

The upper portion 3 includes a top wall 5 upon which may rest a hopper base 1 which, however, in the present form is cast with said wall.

The said legs 3, 4 are provided each with a bearing extension 8 and 9, respectively, placed centrally of the said hopper-base T to receive a shaft H] which extends up into the hopper de noted at II, while l2 indicates a case enclosing a speed gear through which said shaft Ill receives rotation from a drive shaft l2. Mounted on the shaft is a fan !3 having, in this instance, straight radiating flanges or flights I4, said fan being arranged to rotate within the space 5.

The named wall 6, in the present instance, forms the bottom of the hopper-base I, wherein is a port l5 through which to discharge materials upon said fan l3. The port-opening is arcuate in type and lies concentric to the shaft l 0 and occupies substantially one half of the hopperbottom. The outer wall of the latter forms one boundary of said port while opposite said boundary the wall of the port follows around the shaft hearing 8 substantially as shown. In the drawings the port lies mostly to the right of a line drawn through the shaft Ii] paralleling the line of advance of the machine but this will be touched upon later herein.

Beneath the wall 6 including the hopperbottom is a valve mechanism, Figure 3, identified by two curved arms l6 pivoted jointly at one of their ends upon a bolt l! which latter extends through a slot 88 in the said wall 5 and carried by a hand lever l9 lying within easy reach and pivoted at IS on said wall. The other ends of the arms l6 each includes a slotted extremity 20, the slots crossing each other at an angle, a stud 2| depending from the inner face of the wall extending through said slots. In a swinging movement of the lever l 9 the arms will approach each other in the direction of the shaft I0 since guided at their said slotted ends on the said stud 2|. to the movement imparted to the arms the inner edges thereof or those nearest the port, and which are curved to substantially agree with the curve of the same, will either restrict or enlarge the area of said port while maintaining the general arcuate form thereof, the two sets of broken lines in said Figure 3 showing the relative positions of the arms in their extreme adjustments.

It is noted particularly that in reducing the effective area of the port the arms move from an outer position with respect to the port toward the center zone of the hopper-bottom, or toward the shaft ll].

Though it is believed to be unnecessary to show in detail the exact form of the arms they are so lapped one upon the other as to lie snugly against the lower face of the wall 6 to permit a clean cut off for the material handled.

Within the hopper H the shaft [0 is provided .With a series of sleeves 22 which are slipped erably the several described arms lie at difierent positions about the shaft.

The flights not only serve to force the material downward but in their rapid rotation serve to reduce to small particles such chunks or bodies of fertilizing materials, clinkers, or other hard or tenacious material as may lie in the hopper, the structure serving much on the order of the well known hammer mill, type of reduction apparatus.

Attention is directed to the form of the upper Due leg 3 of the frame I. It is noted that a flange 3' depends from the marginal portions of said leg best shown in Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4 which, by choice only, terminate at the extreme rear at 3 These flanges create with the wall 6 an inverted cupped housing above the fan. In the rotation of the latter, therefore, the induced air created by the fan'permits the material flowing through the port to fall in full stream upon the said fan. In this way the fan is fully charged at all points below the port Whereas where there is no control of the intense air movement the material will be whipped in all directions and will not reach the blades or flights of the fan at proper positions to be positively acted upon. Otherwise stated, if the flanges 3 are not employed the intense air currents created by the fan dispel the material at the port in such a way that the flow of such material from the port is broken up to a very great extent and i not given an opportunity to-fall upon the fan for actual spreading force by that member, and the bulk of: material is, in fact, so acted upon that it flows upon the fan only from that portion of the port opening lying farthest in the direction of :fan rotation.

The fan and the flanged housing in the form of an inverted cup .are well separated so that there can be no extreme eddying of air currents as would occur should the two be held in close relation. By providing an opening into the housing at the rearibetween the separated flange terminals, also, the air enters above the fan-blades. Due to the entry of air at this location the result, as found in practice, is that the materials fed to the fan are less'influenced by eddying air currents that would otherwise result were the fancapped by said housing so as to practically enclose it. If inclosed a vacuum would tend to formthus setting up unwanted air-eddying that would breakup the full stream of material to be broadcast, resulting in faulty distribution. Since the opening into the housing is rearward of the fan the entrance of air is steady and at the same time any winds following the machine will have little or no effect upon the material being deposited upon the fan.

The structure in general is adaptable for spreading cinders in road work, though usable in the field where fertilizers are to be handled, except for the fact that for the latter purpose the longest measurement of the port I5 is preferably in a line lying at right angles to the line of advance as in the customary way. That is to say, a line paralleling the line of advance and passing through the axis of the shaft Ii) cuts through the middle of the port dividing the same equally, this, however, not being shown herein.

In practice the machine for such road work is supported upon the truck. or other carrier, 2, at a position fairly close to the road surface, say from 16 to 20 inches therefrom, in order that the material discharged from the fan may pass beneath all obstructions and so that an even treatment of the road may be assured.

The importance of the position of the port I5 is now to be made known. It has been found that the cider type of so called broadcasting machine for seeding and fertilizing purposes are unfit for road work from the fact that the port lies in a position directly forward of the fan shaft or Where a line paralleling the line of advance and passing through the axis of fan rotation equally divides said port.

In road work it is required, naturally, that the machine always advance in the right hand lane and therefore the delivery of the material must be such as to cover the left lane for distances of from 15 to 40 feet from such machine and at the same time the material must cover the right hand lane a distance of substantially 5 feet to the right of the line of travel of such machine. That this may be properly accomplished it ha been found that the port instead of having the position above described, must, instead, lie at the position shown in the drawings or in such a position that a line passing through the fan center and lying at an angle of substantially 45 to the line of advance will about divide the port into substantially equal zones, the port lying to the right of the said fan center, it being observed that the said port at that boundary thereof lying closest to the shaft is practically concentric therewith. Naturally, if for any reason the material is to be cast toward the right the port would be required to lie in an opposite position or at the left of the center of the fan.

When the port is located therefor in such a position as described, and as shown in the drawings, the proper spreading only, of materials is possible as required by regulations in most states.

Of importance, also, for spreading the material in the most advantageous manner is that of depositing th material upon the fan as near the center of the fan as possible. It is noted that the port l5, see Figure 3, for example, lies as close as may be to the fans center of rotation or as near as possible to the shaft bearing and fan hub and concentric therewith. as. stated above. Due to this fact the entire length of the fan blades or flights can act at once upon the material received close to the fan center so that it is set in motion and causes it to cast to the utmost limit of distance combined, as it will be remembered, with the full flow of material through the port unaffected by wind movements set up by the fan. And as distinguished from known'valve structures in machines of a broadcasting type my arrangement of valve is believed to be new, in that in the act of restricting material flow the valve moves inwardly, or toward the center of the fan rather than outward from the center with the result that the discharge of material at the nearest central point is not affected at any time, while the valves contour maintains the general contour of the port-opening due to the structure employed thus maintaining proper condition in all adjustments of such valve. V

I claim:

In a broadcasting machine, the combination with a hopper having a discharge outlet in its bottom, and a distributing fan beneath the outlet spaced below said bottom, of a structure having a flange depending from the region of the hopper bottom to near the fan and forming a partial enclosure above the latter, said flange having terminals at the rear portion thereof spaced apart at a position rearward of the fans axis creating an opening for the entrance of air to and upon the fan between the latter and said hopper bottom.

SAMUEL E. BAUGHMAN. V 

